Palash Vaswani of Gullak fame opens up on his collaboration with Sooraj Barjatya

(From left) Ritik Ghanshani, Ayesha Kaduskar and Palash Vaswani on the set of Bada Naam Karenge. Pics/Instagram

He says Sooraj Barjatya wanted to collaborate with him because the veteran filmmaker loved how he brought simplicity to the screen. However, for director Palash Vaswani of Gullak fame, it was a dream come true. Vaswani had always wanted to create a love story, but making a show with the signature Rajshri touch while ensuring it remained relatable across all age groups was a challenge. Bada Naam Karenge commenced in April and concluded filming in October. However, the team spent nine months refining the script before beginning production. In conversation with mid-day, Vaswani discusses how he drew inspiration from real-life stories of people from small towns to shape the narrative, what he learnt from Barjatya, and how he expresses himself through his storytelling.

Edited excerpts from the interview.

The show seemed like the OTT version of Vivah (2006). Is that just our prejudice?
The series is my tribute to Maine Pyar Kiya [1989]. I still love watching the film. These kinds of stories are missing from screens nowadays. You no longer see innocent romances with a couple in the foreground and the family in the background. The kind of storytelling seen in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge [1995], Hum Aapke Hain Koun [1994], and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai [1998] is absent in the Hindi film belt, though it still exists in south films. This was my attempt to revive that genre.

But romance is no longer so innocent. Do you agree?
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani [2023] is a similar film, but there was a long gap before it. The last such film I remember is Kal Ho Naa Ho [2003]. Today, if I wish to tell that kind of story, how do I narrate it? I must use a contemporary approach with new voices, so that it resonates with people. The OTT audience is quite young, so connecting with them first - who may then share it with their parents - makes the series ideal for community watching.

Palash Vaswani and Sooraj Barjatya

Will Gen Z relate to a romantic story like this?
I come from a small town, Raipur, though I have lived in Mumbai since 2007, so I understand the dynamics in both places. Films today do not focus on relatability. If you watch Premalu [2024], it precisely fills that gap; Hridayam [2022] is also a pure college romance. These stories were once told in Hindi cinema but not anymore. Such people exist and are in the majority, yet we do not create content they can relate to. This is why people from the Hindi belt increasingly connect with south movies.

Raipur has a significant Marwari community. They are business-oriented and wealthy. While they can afford to send their children abroad, they often send them only to Pune. These children do not admit to drinking alcohol or dating because their parents wouldn't understand and would judge them morally. This happened to a friend's brother. Similarly, another friend fell in love with a girl he was stuck with during the lockdown for 15 days. For him, those 15 days felt like a film. We are confident people will relate to our show, just like how they reacted to Gullak.

How did this collaboration with Sooraj Barjatya happen?
Sooraj sir must have seen my work in Gullak [seasons 2 and 3], and people from SonyLIV recommended me. I received a call from Rajshri Productions, stating that Sooraj sir wanted to meet me. Despite being a towering personality, he is simple and clear about his vision and what he wants to convey. He told me he loved Gullak and that not everyone could capture simplicity the way I did. When he narrated Bada Naam Karenge, the story resonated with me, particularly as I come from a small town. Moreover, I had always wanted to make a love story, and the chance to work with him was unmissable.

What did you learn from working with him?
I learnt how to tell a story in a massy way and reach a wider audience by focusing on content. S. Mansvi, Sooraj sir, Vidit Tripathi [writer of Gullak season 4], and I worked on the story for nine months. I was insistent that we perfect the script on paper before starting production. We rewrote several drafts until we were confident, only then moving to pre-production. Since it was a Rajshri project, it needed their signature touch, so Sooraj sir was involved during pre-production. On set, he observed but never interfered, even when I sought his direction.

Did anyone's performance surprise you?
Casting took six months because we needed actors who believed in the story. We chose newcomers to avoid expectations nor will the audience have any preconceived notion about them. The leads, [Ritik Ghanshani and Ayesha Kaduskar], were superb and carried the strong themes effortlessly.

During a table read, Kanwaljit [Singh] sir had a scene where he had to cry, but he felt his character wouldn't. However, I insisted because the climax depended on it. In my stories, men cry. I think I am unable to emote so these emotions come out in my story. He agreed to do it both ways, but after one take, he was convinced by my vision. Watching him perform that scene brought tears to everyone's eyes.